Not to be missed culinary experiences

7 Answers

Best Answer

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  genkidesu

  on Feb 18

  This site might also be of interest to you: https://dining.japan.travel/en/ It's from the JNTO, and it's got some good food-themed inspiration from different spots around the country.

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  genkidesu

  on Feb 11

  Great question! I definitely think culinary-based journeys are fun, and every prefecture really has something unique and different to enjoy. Niigata is famous for a few things -- hegi soba and sasadango are the first two that immediately came to mind. If you like more earthy sweets flavors I think sasadango is delicious, and the presentation is fun, too – the bamboo leaf wrapping is cool from an eco-friendly standpoint. Of course, local rice (koshihikari) and sake are also must-try items here. Hakkaisan sake is really well known even outside of Niigata Prefecture, and it's a Minamiuonuma specialty. A good winter warmer is noppe, which is a stew packed with different veggies, konnyaku, and sometimes meat or fish in a broth made from dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and some other seasonings depending on the place you get it from!

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  TonetoEdo

  on Feb 11

  @genkidesu I alternate between Chiba-grown rice and Koshihikari from Niigata Prefecture. I'm no rice expert but it's fluffy and pearly. I looked up noppe jiru and found some recipes. Thanks!

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  genkidesu

  on Feb 11

  @TonetoEdo My husband has turned into a massive rice snob and is convinced that local koshihikari is better than everything ;) In saying that I do think most Japanese-grown rice is exceptional quality compared to what I was used to back home. Hope you like noppe if you try it!

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  genkidesu

  on Sep 13

  We recently went to Nagano (Obuse area) for a day trip, and the local specialty there is chestnuts! I'd definitely recommend a visit there for anyone who likes them, they're at their best here from mid-September to mid-October so if anyone is looking for something to do over the next month go check it out! Lots of stores selling all manner of chestnut sweets, and there's a Hokusai museum in the town for anyone who likes art!

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  TonetoEdo

  on Sep 24

  @genkidesu I tripped over another resource - https://kyoudo-ryouri.com/en/ You can search by genre or region. I'm having fun with this!

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  genkidesu

  on Sep 24

  @TonetoEdo I love that it offers those search categories! Would love to explore some more of the noodle options across the country, and the nabe suggestions are great as we head into the cooler months. Nice resource!

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